Last week we looked at allocating your resources of time, energy, and money. But this week we have to look at the dirty little secret: typically, time and money are a direct tradeoff. Things that save you time tend to cost more and vice versa.

Some examples:

• You can save the time you spend cleaning your house by hiring someone to do it for you, but that’s an additional expense.
• You can purchase meal plans that deliver everything you need to prepare a meal – often already chopped and measured, but those meals typically cost more than starting from scratch (though if you waste a lot of the food you buy, it may balance out).
• At the same time, you can paint your own house for far less than it would cost to get a professional painter, but it will take a lot more time.

How you choose to navigate that tradeoff is a very personal decision. It will likely change at various points in your life as your balance of resources changes. Or it may be task based. So, you may be willing to do all the cleaning inside your house, but you will pay to have someone do yard work, or vice versa. I remember Ina Garten saying on her show once that she decided long ago that life is too short to peel tomatoes, so she spends a little more and buys good quality canned and peeled whole tomatoes.

Taking a few quiet minutes to decide where your tradeoff lives is a good use of time. It will help you make decisions in those cases where you don’t have the luxury of reflection.